Olivia Munn

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Olivia Munn
Olivia Munn
Munn at the 2007 Comic-Con
Born Lisa Olivia Munn
(1980-07-03) July 3, 1980 (age 33)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Alma mater University of Oklahoma
Occupation Actress, model, presenter
Years active 2004–present
Website
www.oliviamunn.com

Lisa Olivia Munn (born July 3, 1980)[1][2] is an American actress, comedian, model, television personality and author. She began her career being credited as Lisa Munn. Since 2006, she has been using the name Olivia Munn personally and professionally.[3]

Early life[edit]

Lisa Olivia Munn was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is of German and Irish descent on her father's.[4] and of Chinese descent on her mother's side (though her mother was born and raised in Vietnam)[5] Her mother, Kim Schmid, fled to Oklahoma after the Vietnam War ended in 1975. After college, she married Winston Munn, Munn's biological father.[6] When Munn was age two, her mother married her second husband, a member of the United States Air Force. Although the family relocated many times, Munn was predominantly raised in Tokyo, Japan,[3][7] where the military stationed her stepfather. During this time, she appeared in a number of local theater productions, and later became a model within the Japanese fashion industry.[8] Her mother and stepfather divorced and she moved back to Oklahoma, where she attended Putnam City North High School for her junior and senior years and where she was a contemporary of Hinder bassist Mike Rodden, future Oklahoma state senator David Holt and author Aaron Goldfarb.[9][10] She also attended the University of Oklahoma, majoring in journalism and minoring in Japanese and dramatic arts.[3]

After Munn graduated from college, she became an intern at the NBC affiliate in Tulsa,[11] and later moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. In 2004, she interned at Fox Sports Net and worked as a sideline reporter for college football and women's basketball. She has gone on to say that she disliked the experience, explaining "I was trying to be something I wasn't, and that made me really uncomfortable on live TV."[7]

Career[edit]

Munn cosplaying as Princess Leia Organa.

Soon after she moved to Los Angeles, Munn was cast in a small role in the straight to video horror film Scarecrow Gone Wild. She appeared in rock band Zebrahead's video for their song "Hello Tomorrow" as the love interest of the lead singer Justin Mauriello.[12]

In late 2005, Munn began her role as Mily Acuna, a teen surfer, over two seasons of the TV drama Beyond the Break on The N network.[13] She enjoys surfing and continues to practice the sport.[14] She originally auditioned for the part of Kai, but the producers wanted a "local girl".[15] She also appeared in the film The Road to Canyon Lake.[citation needed]

In 2006, Munn moved on to the G4 network, where she began co-hosting Attack of the Show! with Kevin Pereira on April 10. She replaced departing host Sarah Lane. The network, devoted to the world of video games and the video game lifestyle, was at first hesitant to hire Munn. Although she admits video games were her "weak point", she was confident in her technical knowledge.[16] On the show, Munn was featured with journalist Anna David in a segment called "In Your Pants", which deals with sex and relationship questions from viewers. While working on Attack of the Show!, Munn hosted Formula D, a now defunct program about American drift racing, and an online podcast called Around the Net (formerly known as The Daily Nut), for G4. Munn left Attack of the Show! in December 2010 and was replaced by Candace Bailey.[citation needed]

Munn appeared in the Rob Schneider film Big Stan (2007). She played Schneider's character's receptionist Maria.[7] Munn had a significant role in the horror film Insanitarium in which she played a nurse at an insane asylum. She had roles in the films Date Night (2010) and Iron Man 2 (2010). Robert Downey, Jr. praised Munn for her improvisation skills and led the crew in a round of applause.[17] Munn hosted Microsoft's Bing-a-thon, an advertisement on Hulu for the Microsoft search-engine Bing, on June 8, 2009, alongside Jason Sudeikis.[18] Munn appeared in ABC Family's Greek, portraying Cappie's love interest, Lana. In May 2010, NBC announced that Munn would star in the upcoming television series Perfect Couples. The half-hour romantic comedy premiered on January 20, 2011.[19] The show was cancelled before it completed its first season run.[20]

On June 3, 2010, Munn debuted in her new role as a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show.[21] Her hiring prompted criticism from Irin Carmon of Jezebel, who questioned Munn's credentials and accused the show's production of sexism in hiring Munn, whom Carmon characterized as a sex symbol.[22] Carmon saw Munn's hiring as a perpetuation of the show production office's history as a male-dominated atmosphere marginalizing and alienating to women.[23] A group of thirty-two female Daily Show production staff members condemned Carmon's piece as inaccurate and misinformed, as did Munn herself in an interview, in which she stated that Carmon's assertion was an insult both to her and to the rest of the Daily Show staff.[24][25]

In 2010, Munn guest-starred in NBC's Chuck as a CIA agent.[26] In 2011, Munn appeared in the comedy film I Don't Know How She Does It (2011) as Momo. In 2012, Munn had a leading role in The Babymakers, she appeared in Magic Mike, directed by Steven Soderbergh. She plays Sloan Sabbith on HBO's The Newsroom. She also appeared as Angie, Nick's stripper girlfriend, in three episodes of FOX's New Girl.[episode needed]

In print[edit]

Munn at a signing for her book, Suck It, Wonder Woman, at Midtown Comics in Manhattan

Munn has booked modeling campaigns for Nike, Pepsi and Neutrogena. She appeared on the Fall 2006 cover of Foam magazine in September, in Men's Edge magazine in August, and was featured in a pictorial in Complex in November 2006, where she later became a columnist.[27] In February 2007, she appeared as "Babe of the Month" in a non-nude pictorial in Playboy magazine.[28] She discusses this shoot in her book, Suck it, Wonder Woman.[29]

Munn also appeared in the July/August 2007 issue of Men's Health. In September 2007, she was featured in the Italian Vanity Fair for their "Hot Young Hollywood" Issue. Munn appeared in the Winter/Spring 2009 issue of Men's Health Living.[30] She was featured as the cover girl for the July/August 2009 issue of Playboy, and later on the cover of the January 2010 and February 2011 U.S.Maxim. Munn appears on the cover of FHM Magazine's January 2012 issue.[31] She was voted #2 by readers on Maxim's list of their 2012 Hot 100.[32][33]

Munn's book, Suck It, Wonder Woman: The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek (ISBN 0-312-59105-5), was released on July 6, 2010. One critic said it offers glimpses into Munn's life but does not go into depth.[34]

Charity work[edit]

In 2011, Munn teamed up with Dosomething.org's Green Your School Challenge. She was a spokesperson for the campaign by filming a PSA regarding the challenge, and sat on the panel of judges that evaluated the entries.[35]

Munn helped PETA with a campaign that ultimately freed a sick elephant from a touring circus. Her blog for The Huffington Post[36] was credited with encouraging fans to contact the USDA on the elephant's behalf.[37]

Munn posed for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign in April 2010,[38][39] and again in January 2012.[40]

In February 2013, Munn fronted a PETA release of new footage showing cruelty to animals in Chinese fur farms.[41]

Personal life[edit]

Olivia Munn is in a relationship with Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman.[42] She currently lives in Los Angeles, California, and New York City.[6]

Filmography[edit]

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2004 Scarecrow Gone Wild Girl #1 Direct-to-video film
2005 Road to Canyon Lake, TheThe Road to Canyon Lake Asian mob girl
2007 Big Stan Maria
2008 Insanitarium Nancy Direct-to-video film
2009 Slammin' Salmon, TheThe Slammin' Salmon Samara Dubois
2009 Dave Knoll Finds His Soul Girl #1 Television film
2010 Date Night Claw Hostess
2010 Iron Man 2 Chess Roberts[43]
2011 I Don't Know How She Does It[44] Momo Hahn
2012 Magic Mike Joanna
2012 Babymakers, TheThe Babymakers Audrey
2012 Freeloaders Madeline
2014 Mortdecai Filming
2014 Deliver Us from Evil Post-production
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2006–2010 Attack of the Show! Herself Co-host
2006–2007 Beyond the Break Mily Acuna 9 episodes
2008–2009 Sasuke Herself Competitor; 2 episodes
2009 Greek Lana 4 episodes
2010 Accidentally on Purpose Nicole Episode: "Face Off"
2010–2011 Daily Show, TheThe Daily Show Herself Correspondent
2010 Chuck Greta Episode: "Chuck Versus the Anniversary"
2010–2011 Perfect Couples Leigh Main role
2011 Robot Chicken Dr. Liz Wilson (voice) Episode: "Kramer Vs. Showgirls"
2012–present Newsroom, TheThe Newsroom Sloan Sabbith Main role
2012–2013 New Girl Angie 3 episodes
Guest appearances
Year Title Notes
2008 Talkshow with Spike Feresten "Olivia Munn and Hanson"
2009 Talkshow with Spike Feresten 2 episodes
2009 Jace Hall Show, TheThe Jace Hall Show "Olivia Munn & Batman: Arkham Asylum"
2009 Loveline May 25–28
2009 Entertainment Tonight June 18
2009 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon October 28
2009 Lopez Tonight December 3
2010 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon April 9
2010 Last Call with Carson Daly April 13
2010 Adam Carolla Podcast April 22
2011 Late Show with David Letterman January 12
2011 Live with Regis and Kelly January 20
2011 Today Show, TheThe Today Show January 20
2011 Today Show, TheThe Today Show March 17 (co-host)
2011 Conan March 29
2011 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon September 6
2011 Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, TheThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson September 15
2011 Rove LA October 10
2011 Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, TheThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson October 28
2012 Ellen DeGeneres Show, TheThe Ellen DeGeneres Show May 25
2012 Jimmy Kimmel Live! July 17
2012 Late Show with David Letterman August 20
2013 Conan July 18
2013 Late Show with David Letterman August 27

Magazine rankings[edit]

Year Countdown Name Rank
2008 FHM's 100 Sexiest Women of 2008 #85
2009 FHM's 100 Sexiest Women of 2009 #85
2010 FHM's 100 Sexiest Women of 2010 #52
2008 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2008 #99
2009 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2009 #96
2010 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2010 #8
2011 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2011 #2
2012 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2012 #2
2013 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2013 #28

References[edit]

  1. ^ Olivia Mun: Bio. US magazine. Accessed 2011-07-26.
  2. ^ Olivia Munn Maxim magazine. Accessed 2011-07-26.
  3. ^ a b c Olivia Munn. "About". OliviaMunn.com. COMPLEXMediaNetwork. Archived from the original on 2010-04-06. Retrieved 2010-04-06. 
  4. ^ Tokyo Dance Trooper with G4TV's Olivia Munn from ZimBio.com
  5. ^ Christopher John Farley (June 5, 2010). "‘Daily Show’ Correspondent Olivia Munn on Joining the Program" The Wall Street Journal. Accessed 2012-06-06.
  6. ^ a b Pacheco, Patrick (May/June 2012). "Olivia Munn: Hollywood's Hottest Geek". Ocean Drive. Retrieved September 15, 2013. 
  7. ^ a b c Olivia Munn (April 7, 2006). Just Who is Olivia Munn?. Interview with sjohnson. g4tv.com. http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/blog/post/577916/Just_Who_is_Olivia_Munn.html. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
  8. ^ "Olivia Munn". Askmen.com. Retrieved 2007-10-28. 
  9. ^ "OU graduate Olivia Munn gets ‘Perfect' in new show". NewsOK. Accessed 2011-01-21.
  10. ^ "Shaping The Minds Of America’s Youth: Aaron Goldfarb". The Lost Ogle. 2011-03-02. Retrieved 2011-08-07. 
  11. ^ "Olivia Munn & Sam Roberts on News Room, Magic Mike, Nude Scene, Leaving G4, & more". YouTube. June 27, 2013.
  12. ^ Olivia Munn in Zebrahead Music Video on YouTube Retrieved on 2008-12-06.
  13. ^ Stephen A. Johnson (April 15, 2006). "AOTS hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn". g4tv.com. Retrieved 2007-10-31. 
  14. ^ Matt Bean. "Adventure as Aphrodisiac". menshealth.com. Retrieved 2007-10-29. 
  15. ^ Olivia Munn (November 30, 2006). "Hello TV Land!!". tvguide.com. Retrieved 2007-10-31. 
  16. ^ "Playboy after hours – babe of the month" (February 2007) Playboy, as seen in: "Olivia Munn in Playboy!". g4tv.com. January 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-28. .
  17. ^ Blair Marnell (December 14, 2009). "Olivia Munn Talks 'Iron Man 2' Improv". MTV Splash Page. Viacom. Retrieved 2010-05-09. 
  18. ^ "Bing-a-thon on mashable.com". 
  19. ^ "NBC Announces Pickup of New Comedy Series 'Perfect Couples' For 2010–11 Season" (Press release). NBC Universal. May 12, 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-12. 
  20. ^ Claudine Zap (April 8, 2011). "Bye-Bye, 'Perfect Couples,' Hello 'Paul Reiser Show'", Yahoo! TV.
  21. ^ "Olivia Munn 'trying out' as 'Daily Show' correspondent". The Hollywood Reporter. 
  22. ^ Irin Carmon (June 8, 2010). "Olivia Munn's Geek Goddess Schtick". Jezebel. 
  23. ^ Irin Carmon (June 23, 2010). "The Daily Show's Woman Problem". Jezebel.
  24. ^ Teri Abrams-Maidenberg et al. (June 2010) "Women of The Daily Show Speak". The Daily Show. Retrieved 2011-12-25.
  25. ^ Sarah Hepola (July 7, 2010). "Olivia Munn: 'I'm easy to hate. I get it'". Salon.com.
  26. ^ "Her Quest for World Domination Continues: Olivia Munn to Guest-Star on Chuck". TV Guide. 
  27. ^ "Complex's New Columnist: Olivia Munn". Complex. Retrieved 2008-12-06. 
  28. ^ Olivia Munn (January 31, 2007). "Hello TV Land!!". tvguide.com. Retrieved 2007-10-31. 
  29. ^ Amanda Hess (June 30, 2010). "Consent and Manipulation in Olivia Munn’s Playboy Shoot". Washington City Paper. Accessed 2012-06-06.
  30. ^ "Olivia Munn in Men's Health Living". Men's Health Living. Retrieved 2008-12-06. 
  31. ^ "Olivia Munn FHM Cover, January 2012". Trendrabbit.com. 
  32. ^ "2012 Hot 100: The Definitive List of the World's Most Beautiful Women". Maxim. Retrieved August 21, 2012. 
  33. ^ "2012 Hot 100". Maxim. Retrieved August 21, 2012. 
  34. ^ Olivia Giovetti (June 28, 2010). "Suck It, Wonder Woman!: Munn fans rejoice, all others proceed with caution". Time Out New York. 
  35. ^ Rachel Cernansky. "Green Your School: Take The DoSomething.Org Challenge". Treehugger.com. 
  36. ^ Olivia Munn (November 21, 2011).. "Sarah Cannot Wait Another Day". The Huffington Post. Accessed 2012-06-06.
  37. ^ Daily Dish (November 29, 2011). "Olivia Munn Celebrates After Ailing Elephant Is Saved". SFGate.com. Accessed 2012-06-06.
  38. ^ FITSNews (April 28, 2010). "Olivia Munn Wants Elephants To Run Free". fitsnews.com. Accessed 2012-06-06.
  39. ^ "Olivia Munn Combats Circus Cruelty". PETA. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
  40. ^ Cristina Everett (January 13, 2012). "Olivia Munn naked billboard for PETA's anti-fur campaign". New York Daily News. 
  41. ^ Olivia Munn Exposes Chinese Fur-Farm Cruelty. "Olivia Munn Exposes Chinese Fur-Farm Cruelty". youtube.com. Accessed 2013-02-26.
  42. ^ Cantor, Paul (July 31, 2012). "Olivia Munn Spotted With 'Robocop' Boyfriend Joel Kinnaman". Complex.
  43. ^ Geoff Boucher (May 1, 2010). "'Iron Man 2' roundup: Captain America's shield, Olivia Munn and Bill Gates". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-05-16.  A second, unnamed role played by Munn—a partygoer at Tony Stark's birthday party—was cut from the film, but is viewable in the Blu-ray release deleted scenes. According to the audio commentary, she was given the role of Chess Roberts as compensation for her party scene being cut.
  44. ^ Brendan Bettinger (December 18, 2010). "Christina Hendricks, Olivia Munn, and Seth Meyers Join Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, and Kelsey Grammer for I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT". Collider.com. 

External links[edit]

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